Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson: Book Review

Death at the Sanatorium is Ragnar Jónasson’s most recent book to be translated into English. First released in Iceland in January 2019, this edition will be available to readers on September 10, 2024. Readers are transported to Reykjavik in 2012, where Helgi Rykdal is working on his dissertation to earn his MA in Criminology. His research is centered on a police investigation from 1983. Helgi’s questions are leaving him with more questions than answers. What’s he to do when the people at the center of his research won’t be honest with him?

I want to thank Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Death at the Sanatorium. All opinions presented here are my own.

CW/TW: murder, mutilation, death, illness, alcohol abuse, domestic violence

Synopsis from Goodreads

1983 At a former sanatorium in the north of Iceland, now a hospital ward, an old nurse, Yrsa, is found murdered. Detective Hulda Hermannsdottir and her boss, Sverrir, are sent to investigate her death. There, they discover the chief physician, two junior nurses, a young doctor, and the caretaker, who is arrested following false testimony from one of the nurses but subsequently released. Less than a week after the murder, the chief physician is also found dead, having apparently fallen from a balcony. Sverrir rules his death as suicide and assumes that he was guilty of the murder as well. The case is closed.

2012 Almost thirty years later, Helgi Reykdal, a young police officer, has been studying criminology in the UK but decides to return to Iceland when he is offered a job at the Reykjavik police department—the job which detective Hulda Hermannsdottir is about to retire from. He is also a collector of Golden Age detective stories and is writing his thesis on the 1983 murders in the North. As Helgi delves deeper into the past, and starts his new job, he decides to try to meet with the original suspects. But soon, he finds silence and suspicion at every turn, as he tries to finally solve the mystery from years before.

My Opinions

Death at the Sanatorium is as immersive a read as one can expect from a mystery. You’re thrown into the middle of a mystery from the first page. No, it’s not the one at the book’s center, but it’s still a stressful mystery. You could say Jónasson slams his foot on the gas and barely lets up. When he does, it’s enough to let you catch your breath before he slams it down again.

Death at the Sanatorium skillfully weaves three timelines and multiple POVs. Each chapter is titled with the year and the character we are with, making it easy to follow. The timelines, set roughly 30 years apart: 1953, 1983, and 2012, are seamlessly integrated, ensuring you’re never overwhelmed.

From my research on Death at the Sanatorium, it appears to be the end of a series and possibly the beginning of another. But don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the series because Jónasson ensures you won’t feel like you’re missing anything. The book is a standalone masterpiece, welcoming both new and returning readers.

Death at the Sanatorium is the second of Jónasson’s books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and it certainly won’t be the last. His writing style, often compared to Agatha Christie and other Golden Age mystery writers, is a delight for any mystery lover. If you enjoy Christie’s work, you’ll also appreciate Jónasson’s.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.